boynton



(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 1. B. S. BOYNTON.

INFORMATION TABLET.

Patented. Nov. 4, 1884.

Swrmmm ...s ZOWMO m whiff-S0616, MM d# @46a/v @//jzw .NLUSS O N PETERS.Phnmumographer. wnshingiun. D. t;

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. S BOYNTON.

INPQRMATION TABLET.

(No Model.)

No. 307,705. Patented Nov. 4,1884.

fnl/Lann?? @Q91 00M, (La Aa;

Wnesse's, W@ W.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3'..

E. S. BOYNTON.

INFORMATION. TABLET.

No. 307,705. Patented Nov. 4.1884..

@trici-s..

EDWARD STANLEY BOYNTON, F BRIDGEPURT, CGNN., ASSIGNOR T() THE "WHEELER@o WILSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F SAME PLACE.

EEPECEFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 307,705, datedNovember 4, 188%.

Application filed January 5, 1884. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may con/cern..-

Be it known that I, EDWARD STANLEY BOYNTON, of Bridgeport, county ofFairfield, State ot' Connecticut, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Information -Tablets, whichis 'ully set forth in thefollowing specication and accompanying drawings.

rlhisinvention relates to informationftablets of the type described inUnited States Letters Ic .Patent No. 258,529, granted to me on the 33dday of May, 1882.

My invention consists of an improved informationvtahlet vforrailroad-depots, designed more especially to indicate the time ofdeparture and the destination of trains.

i The improvement consists ofthe application of a time-indicatorcomposed of movable timevsigns controlled by the same Jacquard key whichcontrols the station-signs; also, of sundry new and useful details ofconstruction, all of which improvements are set forth specitically inthe. clainh` at the close of this speciiication.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I have illustratedin the annexed drawings, and will proceed to describe, a form thereofwhich has been successfullyused.

Figure l is a front elevation of the information-tablet as it appearswhen the key-holder is lowered for the removal or insertion of aJacquard key. Fig. 2 is a 'front elevation of the information-tablet asit appears when set to indicate the time of departure and the destination of a train. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation thereof, set as shown inFig. 2, some of the time-sign tumblers being partially broken away toavoid confusion. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on line ai w ofFig. 3. Fig. is a horizontal section on line a; of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is ahorizontal section on line y; 0/ of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a horizontalsection on line .c of Fig. Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of the lower endor' the inforimttion-tablet, showing the key-holder as lowered. Figs. 9,10, and 1l illustrate details. Figs. 3 to 8, inclusive, are drawn on alarger scale than Figs. l and 2, and Figs. 9 to ll, inclusive, on astill larger scale; andthe same letters of reference indicate identicalparts in all the figures. rlhe various devices of the informatica nshownin 4 and 10,7the lettered side L 65 and the blank side Il, which arealternately exposed, forming the adjacent sides of an eqnilateraltriangle in cross-section, while the third side is by preferenceprovided with a central grooved ridge for the attachment of 7o thetumblers b. By this form of the stationsigns I obtain the widest tlatsign-surface possible without any waste spaces between the signs, all ofwhich is important,"because I am thereby enabled to hang a great numberof conspicuous signs in a panel of comparatively limited height. At oneend the station-signs B project a little behind the stile of the panel,in order that their movement may be limited by said stile, the anglebetween the blank and 8o lettered sides being properly rounded at thethus projecting end, as shown in Figs. 10 and l1.

For indicating the time of the departure of trains I use four sets oftime-signs-name1y, 85 one set of hour-signs, C, two sets of minutesigns,D D', and one set of solar-signs, E.- The several signs of cach set arearranged behind one another, the set of hour-signs behind thereading-hole c in the upper panel. the two sets 9o of minute-signs, sideby side, behind the reading-hole d, and the solar-si gus behind thereading-hole c. All the movable time-signs are made quite thin andarranged closely together, so that even the rearmost one may be readilyread through the reading-hole in front of it when exposed. The rearmosttime-sign of each set is iixed and forms the back of a box by which themovable time-signs are confined. Besides the stationary hour-sign, whichbears Ioo the figure 12, there are twelve movable hoursigns, the onenext to the reading-hole being a blank, and the others being marked,respectively, l, 2, and so on, the last one bearing the figure 1l. Thestationary minute-sign of the set marked D 7 bears the ligure 5, andthat of the set marked D77 theigure 9. In the set D are five movablesigns marked, respectively, 0, l, 2, 3, 4, while the set D contains ninemovable signs marked from 0 to S. The minute-signs marked 0 are nextadjacent to the reading-hole. Thestationary solar-sign is marked Night5besides which there are four movable solar-signs, of which the one nextto the reading-hole is a blank, while the others are marked,respectively, Noem77 A. M, 1). M. In their lowest position, in which.their marked faces are directly opposite the reading-holes, thetime-signs rest on the horizontal bar A3, which forms the bottom of theboxes in which they move. Each time-sign is rigidly connected to theupper end of a separate vertical tumbler, t. These tumblers t passthrough guide-holes through the cross-bars A, A', and A2 of the frame,projecting with their lower ends inte the compartment containing the keyholder. The tumblerst are arranged infrows behind the tumblers b.

The key-holder consists, primarily, ofa platform, F, containing as manyperforations as there are tumblers b and t, the perforations beingarranged to correspond with the positions ofthe tumblers, so that thetumblers may pass through them when not intercepted by a key on theplatform. This key-platform is secured to a frame, F, which is suspendedby a link, G2, from a crank, G, of a shaft, G, to the outer end of whicha winch may be aplied for turnino it to raise or-louer the ke P s .Y

platform. Atoe, g, formed on crank G', strikes a. stop-pin, g, when thekey-platform has reached its highest position. In order that thekey-platform may move freely and at the same time with great precision,I connect its frame with the cross-bar A2 by the lazytongs connection,composed of the bars H H, fixed, respectively, to cross-bars AL andframe F, and the levers I I', pivoted together and connected to the barsII II in the manner best shown in Figs. 3 Land 8.v The frame F isconstructed with a shelf, Ff. The height of the whole key-holder fromthe shelf F2 to the key-platform Fris about equal to the height of thelower compartment ofthe box-frame A, and shelf F2 forms the bottomthereof when the key-holder is elevated.

YVhen the key holder is lowered, its shelf F2 is exposed belowthebox-frame, and an opening, j', is eut across the front of the lowercompartment, through which opening the keys can be placed upon orremoved from the keyplatform F when the key-holder is lowered. Thisopening is covered by the frame F of the key-holder when raised. Thekeys J are preferably made of suitable card-board, and are mere fiatstrips, perforated at the proper points to allow the passage of thetumblers of such signs as are not to' be moved in set- `ting the tabletby a key, each key having a special system of perforations for effectingthe display of certain predetermined information on the tablet. The keysto be used setting the tablet are stored onthe shelf F2. Vhen the tabletis intended to give successive infor-` mation repeatedly in the sameorder, the keys may be collated accordingly on the shelf, to be takensuccessively from the bottom of the pile, and, after use, returned tothetop of the pile. When there is no key on the key-platform, the blankside of the station-signs will bc exposed and the time-signs will all beranged in line with the reading-holes.

To indicate the time of the departure of a train, I prefer to raise allthe time-signs except those required for theindication, because thatdemands the fewest perforations in the key, although it would only benecessary to raise such of the time-signs as are in front of those to beexposed.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, substantially as before setforth, of a panel of pivoted triangular signs, a tumbler for each sign,and a perforated movable key-platform adapted to operate a key forexposing any one or any predetermined selection of said signs.

2. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of a series ofsigns ranged behind one another and collectively behind a`readinghole, atumbler for each sign, and a perforated movable kcy-platform adapted tooperate a key for exposing any one ofthe signs required.

3. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of thekey-holder, the crank and link for suspending and operating it, and thelazy-tongs connection for connecting the keyholder to the main frameofthe tablet.

4. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the movablekey-holder, constructed with a shelf for supporting a pile of ICO IIO

keys, and the lower compartment ofthe box- Y frame, having an openbottom and an opening across the front.

EDXVARD STANLEY BOYNTON.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN \V. RIPLEY,

0. MATHER.

